1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a navigation system, and more particularly to a navigation system which is capable of utilizing user information which has been read from a storage medium.
2. Description of the Background Art
An example of a conventional navigation system which is mountable on a vehicle performs the following processes. The navigation system continuously checks the level of driving proficiency of the driver while the driver is driving the vehicle. Also during the driving of the vehicle, the navigation system sets a current location and the user's destination on a map, and then predicts the traffic situation within an area which is defined based on the current location and the destination which have been set. Thereafter, the navigation system determines an optimum route by taking the current traffic situation into consideration, and displays a map with the determined optimum route superimposed thereon. The driver, who will normally advance the vehicle in accordance with the determined optimum route, may occasionally desire to go on a different route (for reasons such as traffic congestion), in which case the driver instructs the navigation system so. In response to such an instruction, the navigation system will determine another route based on the level of driving proficiency of the driver and the current traffic situation, and further guide the driver in accordance with the newly determined route. Through this process, the navigation system guides the driver to the destination in accordance with optimum routes which have been determined based on the level of driving proficiency of the driver.
However, the conventional navigation system has a problem in that navigation guidance is given in the same manner irrespective of who the driver is. For example, intersection information is outputted with a fixed timing during navigation guidance to the driver, so that the conventional navigation system may not be able to give sufficient time for an elderly driver to become ready to turn at an intersection. Moreover, since the format of the displayed map is fixed, the conventional navigation system may provide elderly drivers with more information than they can handle.